As dawn broke, Chen Yang shouldered his hoe and headed to the fields.

During the spring plowing season, the work in the fields was never-ending.

Barefoot, he stepped onto the muddy ridges, the morning dew soaking his pant legs, the coolness seeping through the fabric into his skin.

In the distance, the mountains loomed like dark ink, shrouded in mist, a world he had never set foot in.

Three years ago, Zhao Yanran had headed towards those very mountains.

"Brother Chen, you're out in the fields so early?" Old Zhang from the neighboring plot straightened up, pounding his back.

Chen Yang smiled, "Trying to get more done before the sun gets too high."

He swung his hoe, turning over the moist soil with practiced ease.

For the past three years, he had worked from dawn till dusk, tending these few acres of thin fields and the small courtyard at the foot of the mountain, waiting for someone whose return was uncertain.

***

By noon, Chen Yang sat on the ridge, chewing on dry rations and washing them down with cool water from his flask.

The sunlight was somewhat glaring, and he wiped the sweat from his brow, gazing at the distant mountains in a trance.

"Chen Yang! Chen Yang!" Urgent shouts came from the other end of the ridge.

Chen Yang turned his head to see Wang Xiaoliu from the same village running over, his face a mix of excitement and panic.

"What happened?" Chen Yang stood up, brushing the dust from his clothes.

"Your, your wife is back!" Wang Xiaoliu panted, "I saw her heading towards your house, with three men, dressed so grandly, like immortals from the mountains!"

Chen Yang's heart skipped a beat, and he almost dropped his flask.

He froze for a moment, then threw down his hoe and sprinted home.

Three years.

For three years, he had imagined countless times the scene of Zhao Yanran's return, but he had never thought she would come back with others.

The ridge seemed to stretch endlessly beneath his feet, the wind whispering past his ears, carrying faint voices from afar.

His heart pounded fiercely, unsure if it was from running or the impending reunion.

The courtyard gate was open, and four figures stood inside.

Chen Yang stopped at the entrance, breathing heavily.

To read the uncut version, go to [pawread.com].

His eyes immediately caught sight of the familiar figure—Zhao Yanran.

She had changed.

When she left three years ago, she wore coarse cloth garments, her hair simply tied up, though elegant, she still bore the appearance of a farm girl.

Now, she wore a flowing aqua-blue gown, her black hair like clouds, her skin fairer than snow, exuding an ethereal aura.

More striking were the three men standing beside her, all dressed in the same moon-white robes, their transcendent demeanor clashing with the humble farmhouse.

"Yanran..." Chen Yang called softly, his voice hoarse.

Zhao Yanran turned, her gaze meeting his.

A flicker of complex emotion crossed her eyes, too quick to grasp.

"Chen Yang," she nodded slightly, her tone chillingly calm, "I'm back."

The three men's gazes fell on Chen Yang, filled with scrutiny and undisguised disdain.

What they saw was a farmer covered in dirt, dressed in simple clothes, standing beside Zhao Yanran, as different as clouds and mud.

Chen Yang ignored their looks, focusing only on Zhao Yanran, "When did you come back? Why didn't you send word ahead?"

Zhao Yanran didn't answer, merely pressing her lips together.

A handsome man beside her, with an air of arrogance, spoke up, "Junior Sister Zhao, is this your husband from the Mortal Realm?"

Husband from the Mortal Realm.

Those words pierced Chen Yang's eardrums.

Zhao Yanran nodded gently, turning to Chen Yang, "Chen Yang, these are my senior brothers, Senior Brother Yang, Senior Brother Lin, and Senior Brother Li." She introduced them in a detached tone, as if speaking of strangers.

"Let's talk inside." Chen Yang was silent for a moment, then opened the door, inviting them in.

Inside, the furnishings were simple but clean.

Every day after working in the fields, Chen Yang would meticulously clean, as if always ready for the owner's return.

The four guests stood inside, making the space feel especially cramped.

The three senior brothers frowned slightly, seemingly uncomfortable with the simplicity.

Zhao Yanran's gaze swept over each familiar object, her eyes showing a slight ripple.

"Please sit, I'll get some water." Chen Yang said, heading to the kitchen.

"No need." Zhao Yanran stopped him, "We just need to say a few words and then we'll leave."

Chen Yang's body stiffened in place.

He turned to Zhao Yanran, "Leave? Where are you going?"

Zhao Yanran avoided his gaze, her voice lowering, "Chen Yang, I came back this time to settle things with you."

Settle things?

Chen Yang's heart sank.

The eldest, Senior Brother Yang, spoke, "Brother Chen, Junior Sister Zhao is no longer an ordinary person. Her talent in cultivation is exceptional, and she has been accepted as a registered disciple by the elders of Jade Bamboo Peak. Cultivators must sever worldly ties to pursue the Great Dao without distraction."

"So?" Chen Yang's voice was dry.

Zhao Yanran took a deep breath, finally meeting his eyes, "Chen Yang, let's get a divorce."

The air froze.

Chen Yang stood there, as if he hadn't understood her words.

"Three years ago, I went to the mountains seeking an immortal fate, hoping to learn immortal arts and return to give us a better life." Zhao Yanran continued, her voice trembling slightly, "But I encountered unforeseen danger, poisoned by a strange toxin. If not for my senior brothers risking their lives to save me, using the sect's secret arts to detoxify me, I would have perished."

"Detoxify?" Chen Yang caught the unnaturalness in her words, "What secret arts?"

A flush of unnatural red spread across Zhao Yanran's cheeks, and she lowered her gaze.

Senior Brother Yang took over, "The Secret Arts of Qin Valley require the fusion of spiritual energy between three cultivators with Pure Yang Bodies and the poisoned individual to neutralize the toxin. For this, Junior Sister Zhao has become a Dao Companion with us three, sharing the Immortal Path."

Spiritual energy fusion.

Becoming Dao Companions.

Chen Yang finally understood.

His wife, Zhao Yanran, in the three years away, had become a Dao Companion to immortals.

Not just one immortal, but three.

A surge of heat rushed from his chest to his head, and Chen Yang felt the world spinning, barely able to stand.

He gripped the edge of the rough wooden table, his fingers turning white from the pressure.

"You mean... you..." He couldn't continue, his throat feeling blocked.

Tears welled in Zhao Yanran's eyes, but she stubbornly refused to let them fall, "Chen Yang, I'm sorry. But having become Dao Companions with my senior brothers, I can no longer be your wife. The path of cultivation is long, and I don't want to hold you back..."

"Hold me back?" Chen Yang suddenly laughed, a bitter sound, "For three years, with no word from you, I've worked these fields every day, keeping this home, waiting for you to return, and you say you're afraid of holding me back?"

The three senior brothers looked displeased, and the one named Li stepped forward, "Brother Chen, please show some respect. Junior Sister Zhao is now a cultivator, and you are worlds apart. Her coming back to end things personally is already a gesture of old affection."

Chen Yang's gaze swept over the three, finally settling on Zhao Yanran, "So you came back today just for this? To tell me you've become someone else's woman and want to sever ties with me?"

Zhao Yanran bit her lip and nodded.

She took a document from her sleeve and placed it on the table, "This is the divorce decree, I've already signed and sealed it. You... you just need to leave your mark. The fields and house, I don't want them, they're all yours. Also..." She gestured to Senior Brother Yang, who reluctantly took out a small cloth bag from his robe.

"Here are fifty spirit stones, which can be exchanged for a large sum of gold and jewels, enough for you to live comfortably in the Mortal Realm for a lifetime." Zhao Yanran pushed the bag forward, "Consider it... a bit of compensation."

Chen Yang looked at the bag of spirit stones, feeling a deep sense of irony.

Three years of waiting, and this was what he got—a divorce decree and a bag of "compensation."

He remained silent for a long time, until the sun set, casting orange light through the window, dappling the spirit stones with shadows.

Finally, he extended his rough, calloused fingers and pressed his mark on the divorce decree.

"May your Immortal Path be smooth." Chen Yang's voice was eerily calm, devoid of any emotion.

Zhao Yanran seemed pained by his calmness, a flash of hurt crossing her eyes.

The three senior brothers visibly relaxed.

"It's getting late, we'll head back to the mountain tomorrow." Senior Brother Yang said, his tone leaving no room for argument, "Junior Sister Zhao mentioned you have spare rooms, we'll stay the night."

Chen Yang said nothing, just nodded.

He gathered his belongings and moved to the small room in the west wing, leaving the main bedroom for Zhao Yanran and her three Dao Companions.

***

As night fell, the village sank into silence.

Chen Yang lay on the narrow bed, staring at the indistinct beams of the ceiling in the darkness, unable to sleep.

From the east wing came faint whispers and laughter, piercing the night's silence like needles, stabbing into his heart.

He closed his eyes, trying to block out the sounds, but it was futile.

He didn't know how long it had been when the door was gently pushed open.

A slender figure slipped in, carrying a familiar, faint fragrance.

"Chen Yang?" Zhao Yanran's voice was a whisper.

Chen Yang didn't respond, pretending to be asleep.

He felt Zhao Yanran sit at the bedside, her soft sighs clear in the silence.

"I know you're awake," she said, "I... I came to see you."

Chen Yang remained silent. Zhao Yanran's hand gently brushed his hair, her touch heartbreakingly tender.

"I'm sorry," her voice choked with emotion, "I know this is unfair to you. But you don't understand the harshness of the cultivation world. As a weak woman, without support, I couldn't survive. My senior brothers have treated me well, saved my life, and given me the chance to continue cultivating..."

Chen Yang finally spoke, his voice hoarse, "Then why come back? A letter with the divorce decree would have sufficed."

Zhao Yanran was silent for a moment, "Because I still have you in my heart. These three years, I never forgot you for a moment. But I have already given myself to my senior brothers, I have no face to be your wife again... And the path of cultivation is long, I don't want you to hold onto a hope that will never return."

"So you brought them here to completely sever my hope?" Chen Yang's voice carried a hint of sarcasm.

Zhao Yanran's hand trembled slightly, "Not entirely... I also wanted you to understand that I'm no longer the Zhao Yanran of the past. We... can't go back."

In the darkness, Chen Yang could hear her soft sobs.

At that moment, the anger and humiliation in his heart strangely subsided, replaced by a deep sorrow.

"Then why are you here now?" he asked, "To comfort your poor ex-husband?"

Zhao Yanran didn't answer for a long time. When she spoke again, her voice carried a note of determination, "Chen Yang, do you... do you want to come to the mountain with me?"

Chen Yang was stunned, almost thinking he had misheard.

"I can ask my senior brothers to take you back to the sect," Zhao Yanran said urgently, "Though you're a bit older, perhaps some elder might take you as a disciple. Even if not... you could work as a servant in the sect, which would be better than staying here."

Chen Yang was silent. His gaze pierced the darkness, trying to discern Zhao Yanran's expression.

Leave this place filled with memories and pain?

Leave the land he had cultivated for years?

Enter a completely unfamiliar world, filled with humiliation but also potential opportunities?

A soft cough came from the east wing, as if a reminder.

Zhao Yanran stood up, her tone hurried, "Think about it, give me an answer in the morning. I... I have to go back."

She slipped out of the room quietly, leaving Chen Yang alone in the darkness, facing a decision that could change his life forever.

Outside, the moon peeked through the clouds, its cold light spilling into the small room, illuminating the complex emotions flickering in Chen Yang's eyes.

---

Proofreader & Editor: Peter Pan